Residential Conveyancing

Buying a property is likely to be one of the biggest transactions you will ever make whether you are a 1st-time buyer or a season property investor. Our experts who include qualified solicitors with minimum 10-years post qualified experience working full time at Minahan Hirst & Co are there to offer sound legal advice and help you through the sometimes stressful process of selling, gifting, releasing equity, re-mortgaging and buying a home. We are able to provide you with an individual no obligation estimate, with no hidden costs based on the Residential Conveyancing costs examples referred to below. Please call us today on 0161 485 8131 or email solicitors@minahan-hirst.co.uk.

We at Minahan Hirst & Co will do our best to see that everything proceeds as smoothly as possible and we aim to provide you with high standards of service at all times. We will:-

  • Act in your best interests at all times;

  • Review your matter regularly;

  • Keep your business confidential;

  • Keep you regularly informed by letter, telephone or email with regard to progress with your matter;

  • Explain to you in writing the legal work which is required as your matter progresses; and

  • Keep you advised of the likely timescales for each stage of your matter and any material changes to either the timescales or the estimated costs.

The work involved in the purchase of a residential property includes:-

  • Taking your instructions and advising you.

  • Receive draft contract and accompanying documentation.

  • Undertake searches on your behalf.

  • Check the title of the property and raise any pertinent enquiries with the sellers solicitors.

  • Report to you on the contract and accompanying documentation.

  • Obtain your signature to the contract, transfer deed and mortgage deed (if applicable).

  • Agree a completion date.

  • Exchange contracts on your behalf.

  • Apply for mortgage funds (if applicable)

  • Obtain all monies required from you.

  • Complete your purchase on your behalf.

  • Working towards completing your transaction as soon as possible, usually within 5 to 7 weeks of receiving your instruction.

  • Dealing with all post-completion matters on your behalf.

The work involved in the sale of a residential property includes:-

  • Taking your instructions and advising you.

  • Checking the title of the property.

  • Preparing Contract Pack.

  • Receiving and responding to enquiries from the buyers solicitors.

  • Approving draft documentation provided by the buyers solicitors.

  • Obtain your signature to the Contract, Transfer Deed and any other relevant documentation

  • Exchanging contracts on your behalf.

  • Redeeming any outstanding mortgages on the property.

  • Completing the matter and accounting to you.

  • Dealing with all post-completion matters on your behalf.

  • Working towards completing your transaction as soon as possible, usually within 5 to 7 weeks of receiving your instruction.

The work involved in the re-mortgage of a residential property includes:-

  • Taking your instructions and advising you.

  • Obtaining your title deeds.

  • Checking the title of your property.

  • Carrying out a Local Authority search if required by your lender.

  • Acting on your mortgage lender's instructions.

  • Explaining the terms of your mortgage to you.

  • Preparing the mortgage and other documents and obtaining your signature to them (where appropriate).

  • Obtaining the mortgage advance.

  • Completing the re-mortgage.

  • Registering the transaction at the Land Registry.

  • Working towards completing your transaction within 3 to 4 weeks of your instruction*

    *based on the firm’s current average conveyancing time scales.


RESIDENTIAL CONVEYANCING COSTS

  • (Joint Purchase - Replacing Main Residence - UK Resident)

    Legal costs £1,095.00 plus VAT at 20% (Total £1314.00)

    Stamp Duty Land Tax Fee £80.00 plus VAT at 20% (Total £96.00)

    Bank Transfer Fee £35.00 plus VAT@ at 20% (Total £42.00)

    On-boarding and ID Verification Fee £35.00 plus VAT at 20% (Total £42.00)

    Land Registry Searches £7.00 (no VAT)

    Additional Costs

    Stamp Duty Land Tax £12,500.00 (replacing existing residence)

    Land Registry Fee £150.00

    Searches

    Local and Drainage Search £105.70 (inc. VAT)

    Environmental Search £74.20 (inc. VAT) (recommended)

    Plan Search £48.19 (inc. VAT) (recommended)

    Please note that the above is an example of our fees for purchasing your property as an existing property owner who has been resident in the UK for 182 days or more in the last 12 months before the effective date of the purchase. Please contact us on the enquiry form for an individual estimate based on your personal circumstances.

    Please note that when providing you with an individual estimate, we will include all of the charges relating to your transaction. Should something come to light during the transaction we would notify you immediately and obtain your instructions before undertaking any additional chargeable work. Please note this is unlikely with Residential Conveyancing.

    See definitions below in relation to both the Purchase and Sale Section of the costs

  • Legal costs £1,095.00 plus VAT@ 20%

    Bank Transfer Fee £35.00 plus VAT@ 20%

    On-boarding and ID Verification Fee £35.00 plus VAT@ 20%

    Land Registry Searches £6.00-£24.00 (no VAT)

    Please note that the above is an example of our fees for selling your property. Please contact us for an individual estimate.

    The individual estimate we provide to you includes all of the charges we make. We do not provide a schedule or list of additional charges. You are unlikely to be charged more than that provided for in your individual estimate. Should something come to light during your transaction that was not reasonably foreseeable at the time of providing you with an estimate of costs we would notify you and take instructions before undertaking any additional chargeable work.

    See definitions below in relation to both the Purchase and Sale Section of the costs

  • Legal Costs
    In relation to the property transaction these are the charges we make for acting for you in relation to the purchase of your property. Please refer to the Residential section of our website for more information in relation to the service we provide for you.

    Bank Transfer Fee
    In relation to the property transaction this is the fee we charge for transferring funds in relation to your transaction and in accordance with your instructions. The fee includes the fee the bank charges us for making a CHAPS payment together with an element of costs for carrying out the due diligence required to ensure that payment is made to the correct beneficiary at the right time.

    On-boarding and ID Verification Fee
    Is a fee we charge for undertaking due-diligence, and where necessary enhanced due-diligence, including the cost of obtaining third party electronic identity verification together with source of funds and anti-money laundering checks as part of our on-boarding process.

    Stamp Duty Land Tax (“SDLT”) and SDLT Return Fee
    Stamp Duty Land Tax is the Tax payable by you in relation to your transaction. The above estimate is based on a purchase by a UK resident who is not a 1st time buyer and who is replacing their main residence. The amount of Stamp Duty Land Tax payable on any transaction will be specific to the purchaser’s circumstances and we will ask you to provide us with a completed information form relating to Stamp Duty Land Tax to enable us to provide you with an individual estimate.

    We charge a fee for preparing and submitting the HMRC SDLT Tax Return on your behalf. Please note that the Tax Return must be prepared, submitted and Tax paid within 14 days of the date of completion of your purchase. If the Return is not submitted and Tax paid within the time limit afforded by HMRC you will be subject to a fine of £100.00 for late filing.

    Land Registry Searches
    These are the documents we obtain from HM Land Registry on behalf of your Lender and you and include a bankruptcy search for each purchaser at £2.00 per search and a search with priority immediately before we complete your purchase at £4.00.

    Land Registry Fee
    This is the fee charged by HM Land Registry for dealing with our application to register you as the new owner of the property. The fee will vary depending upon the purchase price of the property and we would ask that you contact us using the enquiry form to enable us to provide you with an individual estimate for your purchase.

    Searches
    These are searches we put in place on your behalf and in accordance with your instructions which relate to the specific property in relation to the Local and Drainage Search and the property and wider environmental for the Environmental and Plan Search.

Key Information

  • Buying a new build home is a little different from the traditional home purchasing process. When you first reserve a new build property you will be required to pay a Reservation Fee, usually between £500.00 and £1,000.00. Once you have paid your Reservation Fee if you back out you will likely lose the Reservation Fee however, if you go through with the purchase, it will be deducted from the total price.

    There are usually strict time limits on when Contracts must be exchanged when purchasing a new build property even though it may be some considerable time before you are able to move into your new home.

    It is important to consider things such as whether you have a related sale and whether you will require the assistance of a mortgage to purchase your new build property. We are here to help you understand the process of purchasing a new build property.

  • Planning permission and Building Regulations deal with the provision of consent by the Local Authority for development works to a property, Building Regulations deal with the standard of works and provide a process of certifying that building works have been carried out to a minimum standard.

  • Property fraud is a term that covers a whole range of nefarious activity connected to or involving property transactions.

    Such fraud can very from someone using the property transaction as a way to steal your personal information with a view to intercepting monetary transactions to the illegal transfer of property ownership.

    Property fraud takes many forms including email hacking, pretending to be a buyer or a lender, impersonating a seller, quick sale scans and home hijackings.